Means for preventing accidents in elevators.



Patented Dec. l8, I900. A. A. ROTH & R. BROOKS. N MEANS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS IN E I LEVATOBS. (Application filed June 19, 1900.)

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Noi 664,293. Patented Dec. l8, I900.

A. A/ROTH & n. BROOKS.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS IN ELEVATORS.

( Applicntiun filed June 19, 1900.)

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No. 664,293. Patented Dec. l8, I900 A. A. RUTH 8|. R. BROOKS. MEANS FOR EREVENTING ACCIDENTS IN ELEVATORS.

(Application filed June 19, 1900.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

AUGUST A. ROTH AND ROBERT BROOKS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,

ASSIGNORS TO THE NATIONAL PANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE COM MEANS FOR PREVENTING ACCIDENTS IN ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,293, dated December 18, 1900.

Application filed June 19, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, AUGUST A. ROTH and ROBERT BROOKS, of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, haveinvented certain Improvements in Means to Prevent Accidents in Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

In the description of the said invention which follows reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure .1 is a sectional front view of an elevator-shaft, together with the elevator-cab and the electrical appliances forming apart of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a partlysectional side view of Fig. 1 with some of the electrical appliances omitted. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are enlarged details of certain of the electrical appliances as hereinafter described. Fig. 7 is a diagram view of the electric circuits.

Referring now to the drawings, A is the elevator-shaft, which is shown as abutting a wall B of the building.

0 is an elevatoncab of ordinary description, suspended by the hoisting wire rope a. The doorway of the cab is denoted by b, and the floors of the building are represented by D.

E is a laterally-collapsible bar situated within the doorway b and suspended from the top of the door-frame c. The collapsible bar E is shown as formed of two rods cl, connected by hinged jointed links 6, which allow the said rods to be separated and closed, the said links being jointed at f and pivoted to the rods. To prevent the lower rod from falling to the limit allowed by the links 6, the two rods are connected by a supporting-spring g, as shown in Fig. 3; but any other device adapted to support the lower rod and yet admit of its being lifted may be employed. The rods d may have any shaped cross-section, and in Figs. 3 and 4 they are shown as formed of tubes, the tubes being slotted where the links 6 enter them. The collapsible bar E is supported from the top portion 0 of the doorframe by means of the studs h, which are in electrical contact with the collapsible bar, but insulated from the door-frame and therefore from the cab.

F is a sleeve secured on, but electrically insulated from, the top rod of the collapsible Serial No. 20,809. (No model.)

vbar E. From this sleeve extends a spring G,

the'eud of which is nearly in contact with one of the links e. The collapsible bar and the spring G of the sleeve F are in an open electric circuit 1, and when the lower rod of the collapsible bar is slightly elevated contact-of the spring with one of the links 6 is efiected and the said circuit closed. The battery of the said circuit is denoted by H. In the said electric circuit 1 is the magnet N of a circuit-closer for the main circuit 2, which main circuit includes the electric motor Y, whereby the elevator-cab is operated. This circuit side, and a diagram view of the cont-rivance on an enlarged scale. By referring to the latter figures it will be seen that the wires of the main circuit 2 terminate in the bindingposts I and J, which are electrically connected to the plate-springs K and L, secured to and insulated from a board M, whereby the device may be fastened to a wall of the building. Secured also to the board M are two electromagnets N and O, and between their cores 0 is a hinged armature P, adapted for contact with either magnet as it is energized.

Q is an arm projecting from the armature P, the upper end of which is provided with a cross-head R, adapted, when the armature is drawn to the magnet O, to form electrical contact withthe plate-springs K and L, and thereby close the electric circuit 2 and put the electric motor 'Y in operation.

The magnet N is in the electric circuit 1, and consequently when the lower rod of the collapsible bar E is raised so as to bring one of the links into contact with the spring G the circuit 1 is closed and the magnet N is energized. The energizing of the magnet N causes the armature P to be drawn upward or to the core of the said magnet, and in this movement the arm Q is thrown out and the before described.

descending, he will first come in contact with the collapsible bar, and as the lower rod of that device is lifted by contact with him circuit 1 is closed, the magnet N energized, the arm Q thrown out, andby the breaking of the main electric circuit 2 the cab is stopped. From this it will be seen that accidents resulting from persons attempting to enter a downwardly-moving cab cannot occur.

We will now describe the appliances designed to prevent injury to persons by being struck by the bottom of the cab. These consist of a collapsible bar S, corresponding in all essential particulars with the one E, before described. It is attached to the bottom of the cab and is in the open circuit 1 which includes the magnet N. Consequently if "the person should thrust any part of his person into the elevator-shaft and below a descending cab he would first come in contact with the collapsible bar on the bottom of the cab and the cab would be stopped, as before described. Now it is necessary also to provide against accidents to persons leaving the cab before it is stopped. This is accomplished by placing under each floor a collapsible bar '1, similar to the ones E and S. This bar is in the open electric circuit 1 and when collapsed sufficiently to close the circuit operates to stop the elevator-cab in the manner If a person should attemptto leave an ascending cab before it is stopped, he will come in contact with and raise the lower rod dot the collapsible bar under the floor which he is approaching, and before any injury is received the cab will be stopped.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that we have provided against accidents in elevators arising from three different causes and that in all cases a later ally-collapsible bar is employed to close an electric circuit, and thereby effect the stoppage of the elevator-cab by breaking the main circuit comprising the motor which operates the cab; but it is evident that while the collapsible bar or its equivalent is a necessary element of the invention the device described as operated by the closing of the circuit through the medium of the collapsible bar to break the main circuit comprising the electric motor is not the only stopping device 'which can be successfully used.

It is important that the elevator attendant within the cab should be able to make and break the electric circuit 2 independently of the automatic appliances described. We therefore place in the cab in the open circuit 1 a push-button V and in a second open circuit 3 from battery H a push-button W, the former to open the said main circuit 2 by closing the circuit 1, and thereby stop the cab, as before described, and the second to close the circuit 3, and thereby energize the magnet O, which acts to throw in the arm Q and close the main circuit 2 in order that the cab may again be started by the ordinary starting mechanism under the control of the attendant in the cab. With these auxiliary appliances should the elevator be stopped automatically through the medium of the acciden t-preventing devices the main-circuit may be closed by means of the push-button W and the cab again started without any outside assistance or manipulation of appliances exterior of the cab. Again, if the attendant sees that an accident from any cause Whatever is imminent he is able to stop the cab by pressing the push-button V, which has the same effect as if any one of the collapsible bars were touched.

We claim as our invention 1. In combination with an elevator-cab, an

electric circuit, a laterally-collapsible bar comprising a circuit-closer, in the said electric circuit, a second electric circuit comprising a motor whereby the elevator-cab is operated, a circuit-breaker situated in the second electric circuit, and an electromagnet in the first electric circuit, which in the collapsing of the said collapsible bar becomes energized, and thereby effects the breaking of the second electric circuit through the medium of the circuit-breaker therein, and the stopping of the motor, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with an elevator-cab, an electric circuit, a laterally-collapsible bar constituting a circuit-closer situated in the said electric circuit, means for rendering inactive the mechanism whereby the elevator-cab is operated, an armature connected to the said means, an electromagnet in the electric circuit which may be energized by the collaps' ing of the said collapsible bar and thereby put in operation the said means through the medium of the said armature, and a device controlled from the elevator-cab for reversing the operation of the said means and thereby restore the operating mechanism to activity, substantially as specified.

3. In combination with an elevator-cab, an electric circuit, an electromagnet which when energized renders inactive the mechanism whereby the cab is given motion, means snitably situated for closing said electric circuit in event of an obstruction in the path of the cab, a second electromagnet in a branch of said electric circuit which when energized restores the operating mechanism to activity, and two push-buttons in the cab and in the electric circuit, one of which is adapted to energize the first and the other to engergize the second electromagnet whereby the cab attendant may have control of the operating mechanism of the elevator to stop and start it from the cab thereof, substantially as specified.

AUGUST A. ROTI-I. ROBERT BROOKS.

Witnesses:

WM. T. HOWARD, FRANK B. OHAPLAIN.

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